Signs are that the economic freefall of the past several years is beginning to reverse, as the federal stimulus package puts millions of unemployed workers back to work. Still, for far too many, Labor Day 2009 remains less a celebration of the hard work that built our nation than grim reminder of how far we [...]
Archive for the ‘Economic Development’ Category
There’s a long road ahead of us
Posted in Economic Development, Economic Justice, tagged unions, workers rights on September 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Midwest Rural Assembly or What I Did During (Part of) My Summer Vacation
Posted in Agriculture, Broadband, Civic Engagement, Economic Development, Health Care, Rural Media on August 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Absolutely incredible! That’s what I’m thinking as I’m leaving Sioux Falls and the Midwest Rural Assembly to return to a long-planned vacation with my ever-so-patient spouse. Before I go offline for the rest of the week, here are a few reflections. The crowd was amazing. Over 150 people came from 13 states and Washington, D.C. [...]
Farm and Food File: Take free trade-please
Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Economic Justice, tagged Economy, Fair Trade on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
By Alan Guebert When the international trade portion of your resume is as thin as Ron Kirk’s – you do remember that Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, is now U.S. Trade Representative, don’t you – likely you’d stress personal ideals over professional accomplishments when talking about your new job. Kirk did just that in [...]
Health Care Reform in Rural America: What’s food got to do with it?
Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Health Care, tagged Food Policy, Heath Care, HHS on May 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I got a call on a Thursday afternoon from the White House Office of Public Liaison inviting me to a roundtable discussion on rural health care reform at the Executive Office Building the following Monday. Conference calls were not an option, so recalling my friend and colleague Dee Davis’ admonition: “When the White House calls, [...]
Straight talk about the middle class recovery
Posted in Economic Development, Economic Justice, tagged Economy, EFCA, Middle Class on May 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Dr. Richard Levins has a gift for straight talk. He’s Professor Emeritus of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, but explains his take on economic recovery in a way that makes perfect sense to non-academics like me. On May 7, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune ran a few of his words on the op-ed page as [...]
Thinking Things Through, Together
Posted in Broadband, Communication Rights, Digital Divide, Economic Development, Economic Justice, Internet for Everyone, Media Justice, Uncategorized, tagged angela davis, Broadband, digital inclusion, digital justice, economic stimulus, green jobs on March 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Last year I heard Angela Davis speak at Macalester College. While always thought provoking, this talk stuck with me more than others. During this particular event, Angela Davis focused on the discipline of (and I am paraphrasing here) learning how to ‘think things through together.’ The general idea being the need to adopt more flexibility [...]
Rural Broadband and the Stimulus Package: Digital Inclusion is Hardly a ‘Cyberbridge to Nowhere’
Posted in Agriculture, Broadband, Communication Rights, Digital Divide, Economic Development, Education, FCC, Health Care, Internet for Everyone, Media Justice, Rural Media on February 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today, Rural America is home to about 60 million of the Nation’s population. Collectively, Rural America comprises over 2,000 counties, and accounts for 80 percent of the Nation’s land. In every day terms this means its home to approximately 1 of every 5 U.S. residents. Over the past week, rural broadband has become a key [...]
House Votes for DTV Delay. New deadline is June 12, 2009.
Posted in Broadband, Economic Development, FCC, Media Justice, Rural Media, tagged DTV Transition on February 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The House of Representatives yesterday voted to delay the transition from analog to digital television by four months. The new deadline is most likely June 12, 2009. The Senate already passed a similar vote last week and President Obama has signaled support for a bill. White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said on Wednesday that “the [...]
White Spaces Victory = Victory for Rural Communities
Posted in Broadband, Economic Development, Rural Media on November 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
After many long months of work, we have won…the right to open up more of the television’s airwaves–the unused, unlicensed portions–known as white spaces to the public. In allowing this, the Federal Communications Commission freed up opportunities for more wireless broadband service to many rural and underserved communities nationwide. Not only will white spaces potentially [...]
